Earlier this month, GreenSight took part in ANTX–Coastal Trident 2025 at Port Hueneme, California, with a live demonstration of our project MACLUV (Modular Autonomous Capability for Landing on Uncooperative Vehicles). The event brings together industry leaders, researchers, and defense stakeholders to explore and evaluate advanced technologies in realistic maritime scenarios.

ANTX (Advanced Naval Technology Exercise) is designed to accelerate the transition of innovative technologies by offering a low-barrier, high-collaboration testing environment. Participants gain valuable feedback from operational users and gain insights into real-world challenges long before acquisition decisions are made.

MACLUV’s Mission at ANTX

Our primary objective at the event was to demonstrate how MACLUV can autonomously identify, approach, and prepare for landing on moving vessels using real-time UAV sensor data. This involved multiple complex tasks, including:

• Live template matching for real-time vessel detection and pose estimation
  
• Autonomous path planning based on onboard visual data
  
• Data collection of UAV landings on ocean vessels, including while in motion

What We Achieved

1. Real-Time Target Identification
   MACLUV successfully performed AI-based segmentation and pose estimation mid-flight, enabling the system to recognize the vessel and estimate viable landing zones—all in real time.
2. Live Visualization Interface
   Operators used a laptop interface that visualized the UAV’s live perception of the vessel, including segmentation overlays and gps-denied localization. This transparency was critical for human oversight and validation.
3. Autonomous Approach Tests
   While a human operator maintained override capability for safety, we tested initial versions of MACLUV’s autonomous approach logic. The UAV successfully used its perception data to guide itself in the correct direction toward the vessel.
4. Multiple Successful Landings
   MACLUV conducted several landings on a moving vessel, gathering a valuable dataset for continued development of full landing autonomy.

Why It Matters

Autonomous UAV landings on moving maritime platforms without prior access to the landing zone represent a significant challenge — and opportunity — for defense, logistics, and emergency response applications. MACLUV is designed to meet this challenge with real-time onboard intelligence, enabling faster, safer, and more reliable operations in dynamic environments.

Our successful participation in ANTX-Coastal Trident 2025 marks a key step forward in MACLUV’s development, and we’re excited to continue refining the system based on the data and insights gained during this demo.

Stay tuned for more updates on MACLUV’s progress and upcoming field demonstrations.